Man vs. Nature Due to certain technical difficulties the group outlaw 123 has marked their contributions by using the impact font.

Throughout the novel Peace Like a River the characters are pitted against different people and nature itself. As the name of this page would suggest we will be covering the latter of the two antagonizing factors.

We will initially delve into the matter of Man vs. Nature through the use of several quotes


"In the spring of Dad's twenty-eighth year, he was raised up by a tornado, along with most of the roof above him and a few loose boards he was seeing into the floor." (51)
A tornado is one of the world's greatest destructive forces of nature. Jeremiah, the man, had to face nature's tornado. When the tornado released Jeremiah, he was a changed man. The expirence led Jeremiah down a new path. Without the tornado, Jeremiah land would no be the simple loving father that he is to Swede, Reuben, and Davy.

"He lit the heat and tucked us in-both of us in Swede's bunk; we all knew it was going to get cold" pg 170
(Color would not Change group Outlaw123)
This is man vs. nature because the man is being tucked in because of the nature's weather. The man is Swede and Reuben; the nature is the cold. This shows how horrible the weather is going to be on the journey to find Davy. This also shows that the Lands will do anything to save Davy, it shows that they have good character.

"Outside the wind had picked up; it was bumping the trailer around gently. It felt like a huge pig was out there scratching his back." Pg 171
Wind can be very destructive and violent. Temperature is usually affected by the wind. The wind made it even harded for the Land's to keep warm in their trailer on their way west. The Land family had to deal with the cold weather and the whirling winds during their trip to find Davy. At any point they could have given up because it was too cold, but they stuck together and dealt with what they were given.

"In the morning it was a brisk 19 degrees according to the Roofing Co-op thermometer Dad had rubberbanded to the bedrail." 172
Temperature is a force of nature that man has to face everyday. Although we may not like the temperature sometimes we just have to deal with it. The temperature that the Land family had to face were so fridigid that they used the last of the propane causing them to drive until they found a place to buy more. If they had not used the rest of the propane then they would have not avoided the state patrollers or stopped at Roxanne's.

"Roxanne's eyelashes and her furry hood were studded with icebits, which strangely enough had a softening effect on her appearance" pg 178
Roxanne was a life-saver for the Land family. Without Roxanne, the Land's would not have been able to get the gas they needed to continue their journey, or a place to stay for the night. Roxanne did not need to open her home to the Land's or go out and face the cold, harsh weather just to give them gas. Roxanne chose to do the kind thing and without her bravery and kindness, the Land's would not have been able tocontinue on their quest to find their beloved Davy.

What do the Man vs Nature events symbolize throughout the novel?
Man vs. nature events, such as the blizzard, have changed the speed of the chase to find Davy. The case of the tornado represented how nature can change a person. A person could change from one focused on their high paying career to someone with other priorities. In the case of Jeremiah Land, he originally wanted to be a doctor, but after the tornado incident he became very religious; he cared more for God than money.
How does Man vs Nature effect that future actions of each of the characters in the novel (think about the Lands with Roxanna)?

The way the weather is affects what the characters do in this novel greatly. Mr. Andreeson may get in trouble because he is not used to the North Dakota winters. The weather affects how long the Lands stay with the Roxanna. The weather slows down the search for them and Davy. The police can not continue their search for the Lands because of the Blizzard. They can then gather themselves and it allows them to be closer to Roxanna. These events greatly affect the future of the characters.

It is known that Davy is out alone in the freezing winter, how do you think this is affecting his journey?


I believe that the blizzard has helped and harmed Davy's journey. It probably has provided lots of hiding places for Davy to hide in, and has slowed down the federal agents hunting him. But on the slowing note it probably slowed him down also, though it also slows down the Land's search for Davy too. It is likely that the weather has prevented much progress for any parties involved in the story.
This picture represents the heavy snow fall that keeps the Lands with Roxanna for some extra time, so that they can get to know one another better.3.jpg